I love technology. Certain advancements in tech innovations have made life better and more efficient for humankind, e.g., smartphones, virtual meeting platforms, 3D printers, electric cars, etc.
But there’s one tech innovation I WILL NEVER ACCEPT NOR USE, and that’s an autopilot driving feature in autonomous vehicles like Tesla!
Just recently, a Tesla car in autopilot driving mode suddenly stopped on a highway (in busy traffic) and caused an eight-car pileup collision! See Forbes article: http://bitly.ws/yTme
Autopilot or autonomous driving vehicles are cars and trucks “designed for travel without a human operator, using a combination of sophisticated AI software, LiDAR, and RADAR sensing technology.” -National Law Review.
Essentially, once a human driver engages his/her vehicle’s autonomous driving mode, theoretically, the driver can relinquish all driving authority to the autonomous computer driving system to operate the vehicle. It sounds cool, but I’m not for it. It poses too many possible safety risks to the general public, as evidenced by the recent Tesla autopilot glitch that resulted in a major highway accident.
“As we have seen with autonomous features in vehicles, there is still a chance for vehicle accidents to occur. A self-driving vehicle could suffer from both computer and physical defects.” -reports law firm Seidman Margulis & Fairman, LLP.
Hi-tech autonomous vehicles seem like a sexy, fun, luxury option; it has strong fanfare among many Americans and the global community, but is it safe?
“With the current lack of industry standards and legislation,” reports the National Law Review, Americans’ road safety remains in jeopardy with these autonomous vehicles on the road.
THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY WITH AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES…
As reported by the National Law Review:
?? “Self-driving cars currently have a higher rate of accidents than human-driven cars, but the injuries are less severe.”
?? Autonomous driving vehicles give a False Sense of Security.
?? Danger of Fire-autonomous vehicles are powered by lithium-ion batteries, which are highly combustible, and have caused fires; if doused with water, they can possibly cause a hydrogen gas explosion!
?? Imperfect Technology-“Active driving assistance systems. Systems that combine vehicle acceleration with braking and steering often disengage with little notice, requiring the driver to resume control immediately.”
?? Cyber Attacks-the threat of savvy hackers is a real public safety concern.
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